Portable cardboard display members



Feb. 21, 1956 w. E. HANSON PORTABLE CARDBOARD DISPLAY MEMBERS Filed Dec. 6, 1952 INVENTOR M11262 6. fiartso/z,

' a ATTORNEYS United States Patent" PORTABLE CARDBOARD DISPLAY MEMBERS Wallace E. Hanson, Springfield, Mass., assignor to Sample- Durick Company, Incorporated, Chicopee, Mass, a corporation of New York Application December 6, 1952, Serial No. 324,575

2 Claims. (Cl. 248-35) This invention relates to improvements in foldable display members, such as those commonly made of cardboard or the like, and adapted to be supported uprightly for display purposes.

The invention, although capable of other applications, finds one advantageous use in connection with display boxes which can be collapsed for shipment and when expanded and filled can be supported uprightly to display the articles contained therein.

The invention has for one object the provision in a foldable display member of the class described, of easelforming members of improved construction that provide a firm support for holding the member uprightly and slightly inclined to the vertical for display purposes.

The invention will be disclosed with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. l is a rear elevational view of a display box equipped with easel-forming membersembodying the invention, such members being shown folded flat against the back wall of the box in inactive position;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the display box, showing the easel-forming members in active, box-supporting position, and also indicating an inner box member raised 7 into display position in the outer box member;

Fig. 3 is a front elevational view of the display box members shown in Fig. -2;- and i Fig. 4 is a cross sectional view taken on the line 44 of Fig. 3.

Referring to these drawings, there is shown a foldable display box made of cardboard or the like and including a back wall 1; a side wall 2, one edge of which is foldably connected to one edge of the back wall; a front wall 3 of substantially less height than the other wallsone edge of the front wall being foldably connected to the other edge of side wall 2; and a side wall 4, one edge of which is foldably connected to the other edge of the front wall 3, the side wall 4 being adhesively secured to a flap 5 which is foldably connected to the other edge of and extends forwardly from the back wall 1. This box has a suitable closure for its lower end, that shown including the usual end flaps, one of which is shown at 6 in Fig. 4, turned inwardly one from the lower edge of each side wall; a bottom wall 7, one edge of which is foldably connected to the bottom edge of back wall 1; and a flap 8 foldably connected to the other edge of the bottom wall and turned upwardly to frictionally engage the inner face of front wall 3.

The described construction will serve as an illustrative example of one box with which the invention may be used. The details of the box construction are not essential to the present invention and may be varied widely, as will be obvious to those skilled in the art.

The invention, according to one of its features, provides easel-forming members of novel construction for supporting a fiat wall member, which may be the back wall of a box, such as that described, or any other flat member in display position. These easel-forming members are shown at 9 and 10 and are formed in one piece 2,735,638 Patented Feb. 21, 1956 as an integral and rearward extension of side wall 4. The member 9 is hingedly connected to one vertical side edge of wall 1 as well as to the rear side edge of wall 4 (see Fig. 1). The members 9 and 10 are separated by a crease or line of fold 11. When the box is not in display position, the easel-forming members 9 and 10 fold flatly against the back wall 1 of the box, as shown in Fig. l. The combined members 9 and 10, when folded fiat against the back wall 1, cover substantially all of the back wall except for a lower triangular area that is left because the lower edges 12 and 13 of these members are cut to lie at a small acute angle to the lower edge of the back wall. The upper edges of member 10 and wall 1 are at the same level. The upper edge 14 of member 10, near its free extremity (left hand as viewed in Fig. 1), is notched, as at 15 to form a tab 16. The back wall is provided with a slot 17 of a size to permit the tab 16 to pass therethrough. The crease 11 extends from the upper right hand rear corner of the box in downwardly diverging relation with respect to the line of told 18, which joins member 9 to side wall 4, to the junction of the edges 12 and 13. The member 9 is thus triangular in form. The shape of member 9 is approximately that of an isosceles triangle. 7

' In use, when it is desired to support the display box in display position, one grasps the member 10 just below tab'16 and pulls it downwardly with the tab riding along the back wall 1 until its upper edge becomes aligned with a slot 17. The tab is inserted in this slot, as far as possible, until the shoulder 19 and preferably also the inclined edge 20, abut the back wall 1. As the upper edge '14 of member 10 is swung downwardly, as described, the member 9 swings outwardly, bending on its hinge line 18, because of the pressure of membr 10 applied'along the hinge line 11. As the member 9 is thus swung, the member 10 is also swung away from the back of the box except for its upper edge 14, which remains in contact with the back wall 1. The members 9 and 10 assume the positions best shown in Fig. 2, in which they are disposed at an obtuse angle to one another with both their lower edges 12 and 13 resting on the upper face of whatever member is used as a support. The members 9 and 10 mutually brace each other and provide a relatively rigid easel support for the display box. A much better support is had than could be had with either member acting alone. Either such member, if used alone, would readily bend intermediate its upper and lower ends but such bending is strongly resisted when the two members are used together and moved into the angular relation described. The member 10, when anchored to the back wall by the engagement of tab 16 in slot 17, holds the two parts 9 and 10 in the angular relation shown, thereby providing a very firm and stable easel to hold the box inclined to the vertical in display position.

With a display box, such as described, the interior may be subdivided by means of a second and smaller box 21, mounted within the outer box described for vertical sliding movement from a lower position, indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 4, to an upper position, indicated by full lines. This inner box 21 when in its lower position will have its bottom wall resting on the bottom 7 of the outer box. The inner box has a tab722 on its upper end by means of which it may be conveniently raised into its upper and display position shown by full lines in Figs. 3 and 4. The inner box is held in its upper position, by means of a vertically-upstanding tab 23, formed on the back wall 1 and inserted through an opening 24 formed in the back wall 25 of the inner box (Figs. 3 and 4).

The inner box 21 (see Fig. 4) is about half the width of the outer box and divides the latter into front and rear compartments each of which may receive a plurality (six in this case as shown in Fig. 3) of small rectangular boxes 26, indicated by dotted lines in Figs. 3 and 4.

When the inner box is raised into display position, the

boxes 26 in the rear row have their upper ends elevated above the corresponding ends of the boxes in the front row for better display.

The front wall 27 of the inner box 21 may, if desired and as shown, have struck out from it a plurality (five in this case) of partitions 28, each foldable along a line 29 to project partly into the inner box 21 and outwardly beyond the front wall 27 of the inner box into the space between such wall and the front wall 3.

The invention thus atr'ords improved easel-forming members of a simple and inexpensive construction which are movable into angular relation to provide a firm support for the display box.

What is claimed is:

1. In combination with a fiat Wall of cardboard or the like adapted to be supported from its bottom edge and held in a substantially upright rearwardly-tilted position for display, of a first easel-forming member having first and second side edges and a lower edge interconnecting the lower ends of said side edges and disposed at an acute angle with respect to each, the first side edge of said member being hingedly connected to one side edge of said wall and the second side edge of said member converging upwardly away from said lower edge with respect to said first side edge, a second easel-forming member having upper and lower edges and side edges interconnecting them, one side edge of the second member being hingedly connected to the second side edge of the first member, said first and second members being movable on their hinged connections from inactive positions in which both lie flatly against the back of said wall in coplanar relation to active positions in which the first member swings outwardly from said wall at a substantial acute angle thereto with its lower edge supporting it and the second member extends at a substantial obtuse angle to the first member with the lower edges of both members and the bottom edge of said wall being located in a common plane disposed at an acute angle to the back of said wall and the upper edge of the second member engaging the back of said wall, and interengageable means on the back of said wall and on the upper edge of the second member for holding both members in active easel-forming position with their lower edges located in said plane and the lower edge of the second member substantially parallel with the bottom edge of said wall.

2. In combination with a flat wall of cardboard or the like adapted to be supported from its bottom edge and held in a substantially upright rearwardly-tilted position for display, of a first easel-forming member having the shape of an acute angled triangle with two relatively long side edges and a shorter bottom edge and being hingedly connected along one of said long side edges to one side edge of said wall, a second easel-forming member having the shape of a trapezium with upper and lower nonparallel edges and side edges interconnecting them, the longest side edge being hingedly connected to the other long side edge of the first member, the shortest side edge of the second member constituting its bottom and supporting edge, said first and second members being movable on their hinged connections from inactive positions in which both lie flatly against the back of said wall in coplanar relation with their bottom edges disposed in one straight line to active positions in which the first member swings outwardly from said wall at a substantial acute angle thereto with its bottom edge supporting it and the second member extends at a substantial obtuse angle to the first member with its bottom edge and the bottom edge of the first member and wall located in a common plane disposed at an acute angle to the back of said wall and with the upper edge of the second member engaged with the back of said wall, and interengageable means on the back of said wall and on the upper edge of the second member for holding both members in said active easel-forming position.

References Cited in the file of this patent V UNITED STATES PATENTS 688,383 France May 12, 1930 

